Spring is Here! (Nearly)

I’ve done both the Tour deTroit and MSU Gran Fondo. They’re very different rides. The TdT is more of a tour of all things Detroit (good, bad, ugly plus some). I’d highly recommend the 65 mi. course and staying far away from the shorter mileage event which attracts the lion’s share of riders and looks to move at a snail’s pace. The longer ride is a very comfortable pace and spread out so you’re not having to worry about running into people until you cross paths with the larger, shorter length event riders mid-route. I really enjoyed TdT both times (except for the miles riding inter-mixed with the aforementioned large crowd).

The MSU Gran Fondo was very well organized for it’s inaugural year last year. I’m looking fwd to it again this June. I did the longer 80 mi. blast out to the coast of Lk. Michigan which was indeed a true blast in every sense of the word! I hung w/ the fast guys for most of the way to the coast (averaged about 21 mph) riding my touring bike commuter bike (yes, complete w/ fenders, kickstand, lights, bells, air horn, rack, pannier, etc. you shoulda seen the looks I was getting from the triathletes who kept getting into their aero bars while mid-pack forcing me to have a word with them about the dangers of doing such!). Anyway, coming back from the coast was a different story for me. All in all it’s an excellent route and very well done job on logistics, excellent food breaks and stunning scenery along the way (for W. Michigan that is). Full disclosure: Our shop, MSU Bikes, is a sponsor for the Gran Fondo; we’ve provided a bunch of bikes for their PR campaign which they’ve painted all green and stuck signs on and scattered them around GR and E. Lansing. http://bikes.msu.edu

I’d be happy to do it at a more reasonable, sustainable pace this year! I’d much rather ride with someone I know.